ABSTRACT
Sustainability Sustainability is a ‘hurrah word’ in contemporary political debate – everyone is in favour of it just as we are all in favour of democracy or justice. The government has taken to spraying the word all over many of its policy papers and reports: sustainable transport policy,
sustainable housing, sustainable health care. Sustainability and sustainable development are often used interchangeably, and they are at times used in this way in this book, but the two terms need to be distinguished: sustainability is the end-state, whereas sustainable development is the means to achieving that end. Sustainable development has been best defined as development which ‘meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Brundtland Report, 1987: 8). Sustainability and sustainable development are ambitious concepts for they integrate environmental, economic and social policy. This book is about the ‘how to’ policies which would enable a sustainable society to emerge, and so it is concerned with ‘sustainable development’ in social policy. Jacobs has identified six core themes in the contemporary debate on sustainability. These are:
• integration of environmental considerations in economic planning;
• futurity: concern about the impact of contemporary decisions on future generations;
• environmental protection: policies to reduce environmental damage;
• equity: commitment to meeting the basic needs of the poor today and in the future;
• quality of life: economic growth does not equate with human well-being;
• participation: sustainable development requires as much involvement as possible by individuals and groups if it is to work (Jacobs in Dobson, 1999: 26-7).
